Thursday 9th April 2026

It was a pleasure to witness the masterful performance of Gonçalo Maia Caetano at Bristol Classical Guitar Society on 9/04/2026,  as part of IGF’s Young Artist Platform, which he completed last year. 

He was born in Coimbra, Portugal and started playing guitar at the age of 7 years. 

After studying in the Academia de Musica in Pinhel with Prof Pedro Espino, he completed his BA in classical guitar at the Royal Academy of Music with Professor Michael Lewin and went on to complete an advanced Diploma. Whilst at the Royal Academy of Musica, he won the Blyth Watson Concerto prize. He has performed in many concerts across Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and the UK , and has won more than 10 international competitions. He was awarded the Prince’s Prize in 2023, and was the Musicians’ Company Award winner 2022/23. He has a passion for Jazz music and plays in the Phemo quartet as a bass player along with pianist Ashkan Layegh who wrote the commissioned piece we heard this evening. 

Gonçalo played a varied programme starting with Sylvius Leopold Weiss’ Overture in B-flat major.   He created bright, joyful and warm tones with his new Greg Smallman guitar. He played wonderfully clear harmonics and ligados. 

We were then treated to 4 movements by Toru Takamitsu under the title All in Twilight. The composer had been very influenced by a Paul Klee painting exhibited in New York under the same name, which inspired the composition . The first movement was discordant, and full of harmonics, the dark 2nd piece haunting with resonant base tones, the 3rd full of ascending and descending arpeggiated sequences which gave a dramatic feel and the 4th a slightly lighter and faster theme with more harmonics. 

Miguel Llobet’s Scherzo-Vals was obviously very demanding of his left hand, with its very rapid scale sequences and ligados and its playful cadences. 

In Augustin Barrios-Mangore’s Mazurka Appassionata, Gonçalo expertly mastered the essence of the mazurka, balancing the sensuous, ethereal song-like passages with moments of dramatic tension.

The IGF-commissioned piece (For Solo Guitar 2) by Ashkan Layegh was entirely suited to Gonçalo’s love of jazz, and explored the concept of “consistency through inconsistency”. The core of the music is built on 12 groove-based patterns which are treated as fragments which are regularly juxtaposed and reconfigured, successfully blurring the margins between classical music and jazz. 

The evening ended with a wonderful rendition of Sergio Assad’s Aquarelle, a movement of 3 pieces which reflects on the structure of Brazilian folk rhythms. Gonçalo showed his mastery of the technical difficulties of the pieces.  The 2nd movement, Valseana, named after one of Assad’s students, was the most recognisable, and the high energy and syncopated rhythms of Preludio e Toccatina brought the concert to a finale. 

I think that the BCGS would agree we have witnessed an incredible new talent with amazing lightness and speed of hand. We will hear a lot more of him in the future I’m sure!

Programme

Silvius Leopold Weiss (1687–1750)
Overture in B-flat major

Toru Takemitsu (1930–1996)
All in Twilight
I. —
II. Dark
III. —
IV. Slightly Fast

Miguel Llobet (1878–1938)
Scherzo-Vals

Agustín Barrios Mangoré (1885–1944)
Mazurka Appassionata

Ashkan Layegh (b. 1997)
For Solo Guitar 2 (IGF Commission, 2025)

Sérgio Assad (b. 1952)
Aquarelle
I. Divertimento
II. Valseana
III. Prelúdio e Toccatina

Thursday 12th March 2026

It was an honour and real treat for BCGS to host Johan at one of our Thursday, monthly meet-ups. His recital focussed upon music written for guitar in Victorian London during the middle of the 19th century – arguably the high point of classical guitar playing in the UK. Contrasting with the deep resonance and sustain of a modern (post-Torres) guitar, Johan’s use of an original 1850’s parlor guitar propelled us back in time to the Victorian Salon.

That Johan is a committed teacher of the guitar was evidenced in tonight’s concert by his mixture of playing, presenting and reflection. Through his presentation he conjured up a colourful image of the players, composers, as well as the guitar scene, of ‘Pratten’s London’. Interestingly, although all the composers cited in tonight’s concert lived for a time in England (indeed, Nuske, Pratten, and Regondi all died in London), they were all born outside of the UK.

The same is also true for Swedish born Johan.

Johan opened his recital with a brilliant rendition of the Russian-born Nuske’s Fantasia in C Major, Variations on ‘God Save the King’. From this, it was immediately apparent why Johan uses a guitar made well over 100 years ago: this little, relatively quiet, guitar is capable of producing an astonishing variety of colour and dynamism, an effect that exudes a unique character. This was amply illustrated in Nuske’s fantasia. Johan’s performance provided not only a masterclass of playing on a Victorian guitar, but also highlighted Nuske’s exceptional ability as a composer of music for the guitar.

Johan treated us next to a small selection from the vast compositional output of Catharina Pratten. Moving with her family to England when she was a small child, Catharina was the daughter of the German guitarist and music teacher Ferdinand Pelzer, with herself becoming a leading figure in the guitar world. As a player, not only did she start touring at the incredibly young age of 8 years old, composed over 250 pieces for guitar and voice, and taught widely – including to the daughters of Queen Victoria – she also wrote highly respected teaching methods. Providing us with printed excerpts from Pratten’s method, Johan commented on their remarkable level of detail. In the three pieces he played, Johan very ably demonstrated all of the techniques taught by Pratten: the tonal effects of moving the right hand position in the melancholic A Lost Love; left hand slides, the use of tremolo, harmonics and rasgueado in Forgotten; and the harmonizing of voice and guitar in Twilight. Taken together, these pieces, played by Johan with impressive skill and style, provided striking evidence of how and why the young virtuoso Catherina Pelzer developed into the towering Grande Dame of the Victorian classical guitar, Catherina Pratten.

The next piece Johan played was by the Spaniard Huerta. Huerta was a celebrated guitarist, nicknamed ‘the Paganini of the guitar’ and referred to by Berlioz as one of the three best musicians of his time. Lola Montès was a wonderful dance-like, driven piece, with a bouncy bass line, full of Spanish color, augmented by lavish use of tremolo, arpeggio, pizzicato, and rasgueado.

Johan ended his recital with the virtuosic classic of 19th Century guitar repertoire, Introduction et Caprice, by the Swiss-born Giulio Regondi. Two years Pratten’s senior, like her, Regondi was also a child prodigy. However, his youthful concertizing earned him the great honour of having a
piece of music (op. 46) dedicated to him by no less than Fernando Sor. As in the other offerings from Johan tonight, he performed this very challenging piece with seeming ease, along with huge verve and charm. To hear this wonderful piece performed with such skill and musicality on an original guitar – dating from the period during which it was composed – felt like a privilege and a dreamy time-travel back to a very high point in the history of the classical guitar.

Programme

Johann Abraham Nüske (1796-1865)
Fantasia in C Major: Variations on ‘God Save the King’

Catharina Pratten (1824-1895)
A Lost Love
Forgotten
Twilight

Francisco Trinidad Huerta (1800-1874)
Lola Montès; Boléro Favori et Original Op. 54

Giulio Regondi (1822-1872)
Introduction et Caprice Op. 23

The term Fika comes from the Swedish tradition of enjoying a break during the day to eat or drink something sweet to recharge one‘s energy. The duo aims to build a unique concert repertoire through new arrangements and collaborations with composers, including Zoë‘s own
compositions and live improvisations. I think, based upon their performance, they certainly achieved their goals.

The duo produced a thoughtful programme, showcasing excellent technique and musical synergy, which resonated well with the audience.

The flute can often dominate the sound of a classical guitar in such pairings, but Zoë and Emma were perfectly matched, creating a harmonious interplay which felt both natural and deliberate. This balance set the stage for a high quality performance throughout.

A highlight of the evening was the performance of Swarming, a commissioned piece by Effy Efthymiou which through the duo‘s interplay with rapid, intricate passages, evoked the frenetic buzz of swarming insects.

The duo‘s rendition of Histoire du Tango (Astor Piazzolla) transported the audience through the gritty bordellos of the 1900s, to the more romantic setting of Parisian cafes in the 1930s , Nightclub 1960, infused with bossa nova vibes and the Concert of Today (1985).

Other standouts were Cable to the Sun by fellow student Franklin Onyeso and Zoë‘s improvised composition Low Earth Orbit. Equally impressive was Stephen Goss‘s composition La Catedral Sumergida, a piece originally commissioned for BCGS‘s own Francisco and Emily Correa. The evening concluded with a playful encore, Philip Houghton‘s Gary the Gecko.

I’m sure I can say on behalf of the audience that it was an excellent recital and we look forward to further
performances by this talented duo.

Programme

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921–1992)
Histoire du Tango
i. Bordel 1900

EFFY EFTHYMIOU (1980-)

Swarming (IGF Commission)

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA
Histoire du Tango (ctd.)
ii. Café 1930

FRANKLIN ONYESO (2005–)
Cable to the Sun

ZOË MEADOWCROFT (2005–)
Low Earth Orbit

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA
Histoire du Tango (ctd.)
iii. Nightclub 1960

STEPHEN GOSS (1964–)
La Catedral Sumergida

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA
Histoire du Tango (ctd.)
iv. Concert d’Aujourd’hui

For Micaela, this tour was a chance to perform internationally, but also immerse herself in the UK’s vibrant guitar community, to learn, to teach, and to build friendships through music. For everyone who heard her play, it was an unforgettable reminder of the power of cultural exchange.

About Mica

Micaela (“Mica”) trained at the National Conservatory of Music of Paraguay and the Institute of Fine Arts, before pursuing further studies at the National University of Rosario in Argentina. Along the way, she has studied with leading guitarists including Eduardo Isaac, Eduardo Fernández, and Juan Almada, and taken masterclasses with an impressive list of international stars such as Berta Rojas, William Kanengiser, Edelton Gloeden, and Víctor Villadangos.

Her artistry reflects this wide-ranging background: deeply rooted in Latin American traditions but refined through the discipline of the classical canon. Mica was a member of the “Ensamble Pu Rory” project, directed by Maestra Berta Rojas, and was a recipient of the Instrumentoteca Toyota prize, which gave her not only a fine concert guitar but also the opportunity to travel and develop her career abroad.

A Summer of Music

Mica’s whirlwind UK adventure in August 2025  took her to some of the country’s most important guitar gatherings, as both student and performer.

She first joined the Ammerdown Guitar Summer School, where she quickly impressed both tutors and fellow participants with her sensitive playing and warmth of character. She performed as a guest artist with co-sponsor WAGO at Ammerdown, in the premiere performance of a new 7 mov composition written for WAGO called Wessex Wyverns by Stephen Goss (solists Mark Eden and Nicola Russell).

From there, she travelled to Bath for the International Guitar Foundation (IGF) Summer School, immersing herself in workshops and performances alongside an international mix of players and world-class performers.

Her journey continued to the West Dean Classical Guitar Summer School, one of the UK’s most respected courses. Here, Mica found herself in the company of renowned teachers and fellow students passionate about pushing their playing to the next level. She relished the chance to learn and to share her own musical insights, especially around Latin American repertoire.

One of the standout moments of her trip came at Hawkwood College, where she took part in a masterclass with Craig Ogden, one of Britain’s best-loved guitarists. Not only did she learn from him, but she also had the thrill of sharing the stage with Craig in concert – an early career milestone that will surely stay with her forever.

The tour reached its peak with Mica’s solo full-length recital at St Mary’s Church, Yatton, presented by the Yatton Music Society in partnership with BCGS and the Wyvern Afinado Guitar Orchestra. In this beautiful village setting, she offered a programme that blended the Romantic elegance of Napoléon Coste, the rhythmic drive of Paulo Bellinati, the haunting lyricism of Leo Brouwer, and the unmistakable voice of Paraguay’s own Agustín Barrios Mangoré. It was a performance that left the audience spellbound – a perfect example of how a single guitar, in the hands of the right player, can fill a room with colour, emotion, and narrative.

The Repertoire

Across her various UK appearances, Mica’s repertoire showcased the breadth of her artistry. She moved seamlessly from demanding Romantic era pieces (e.g. Napoleon Coste – Fantasie Op.31 Le Depart) to Spanish classics such as Albéniz’s Sevilla, to Latin American gems including Barrios’s Julia Florida and La Catedral, to modern works like Solís’s Pasaje Abierto and Bellinati’s Jongo and Brouwer’s El Decameron Negro.

Her choices reflected not only her technical command but also her musical identity: a guitarist equally at home with the folk-infused rhythms of her homeland and the wider international guitar concert music. Listeners were treated to music that was both virtuosic and deeply personal – every phrase seemed to carry a story.

Building Bridges

What made this tour so special  was the way Mica connected with people – summer school students, teachers, audiences, and fellow performers. She brought with her a sense of curiosity and openness.

By the time she left, she had built friendships that stretched across continents. For those of us lucky enough to hear her, it was a reminder that music is more than sound: it’s a conversation, a bridge between cultures, and a celebration of our shared humanity.

Gratitude and Looking Forward

This visit wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of the Bristol Classical Guitar Society, whose sponsorship ensured that Mica could travel and perform here. Special thanks also go to Helen and Vince Smith, who welcomed her into their home and supported her throughout her stay, with Vince also lending Mica a concert guitar for the duration of her trip. 

As Mica returns to Paraguay, she carries with her the experiences, connections, and memories of a truly remarkable summer. And for those of us in the UK, we carry the memory of her playing – sensitive, vibrant, and full of heart.

Her story is still being written, but one thing is certain: this is just the beginning. Next year, Mica will further her studies with a Masters programme in the US. We look forward to following Mica’s career and hearing her play again!

11 September, 2025 @ 8:10 pm – 9:00 pm BST (London)

This concert is promoted in partnership with the International Guitar Foundation (IGF).

Praised as “such an amazing talent“, Duo Cantelina are a dynamic vocal and guitar duo comprising of mezzo-soprano Sophie Clarke and classical guitarist Ravi Nathwani. They have just completed their Master’s at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and have now been selected as International Guitar Foundation (IGF) Young Artists for 2024-2025.

During their time at the RNCM they received First Place in the Bessie Cronshaw/Frost Brownson Song Cycle Competition. Duo Cantelina performs at a selection of concerts all over the UK, including an invitation from the Consul of Spain to perform at the National Day of Spain celebrations in Manchester.

One of their most recent recitals took place at King’s Place in London, where they gave a performance of IGF commissioned work Self-love, specifically composed for the duo by Bobbie-Jane Gardner. Other performances include a recital for Buxton Opera House & Pavilion Arts Centre and pre-concert and post-concert recitals for BBC Philharmonic and The Hallé, both at Bridgewater Hall.

Programme

JOSÉ SERRANO
arr. Ravi Nathwani
Marinela, Marinela

FRANZ SCHUBERT
arr. Craig Ogden
Ständchen, D 889

MANUEL DE FALLA
arr. Miguel Llobet & Emilio Pujol
Siete Canciones Populares Españolas
    i. El Paño Moruno
    ii. Seguidilla Murciana
    iii. Asturiana
    iv. Jota
    v. Nana
    vi. Canción
    vii. Polo

ROBERT BURNS
arr. Ravi Nathwani
Ae Fond Kiss

BOBBIE-JANE GARDNER (IGF Commission)
Self-love

KURT WEILL
arr. Ravi Nathwani
Wie lange noch?

STANLEY MYERS & CLEO LAINE
arr. Ravi Nathwani
He Was Beautiful

Introduction

It was a great privilege to welcome Cai Charles and Oliver Manning, two very talented and up-and-coming players, to give a performance through the IGF Young Artists’ Platform on 13 March 2025. Cai and Oliver have been performing as a duo since 2020, having met during their undergraduate studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Oliver Manning was selected by John Williams to become a Julian Bream Trust Scholar in 2023 to support his postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music, London, and was winner of the John Mills Guitar Competition and also of the Orpheus Voice and Guitar Competition. Cai Charles was a winner of the Solo String Competition at the Wales National Eisteddfod. He also gave the UK premiere solo performance of the Dos Dalias concerto by Gerard Tamez during the World Harp Congress in St David’s Hall, Wales, in 2022. The duo has performed both in the UK and at the Maestros de la Guitarra concert series in Granada, Spain.

The IGF helps to launch the career of young guitarists as they embark on their concert careers, and by commissioning music written specifically for the players.

Programme (selections)

• Stephen Goss — Cocktail List (six of twelve miniatures): “Boulevardier”, “Negroni”, “Alabama Slammer”, “Vodka Martini”, “Vieux Carré”, “Manhattan”.
• Traditional Welsh (arr. Stephen Goss) — “David of the White Rock”, “Suo Gan”, “Hunting the Hare”.
• David John Roche — Quaver Dreams and Quaver Nightmares:
  I. Limited Chordal Universe; II. NotBach; III. Aggressive Bicycle Music. (World premiere of a BCGS-commissioned work in three movements.)
• Carlo Domeniconi — Fire Brigade on Ice from Circus Music.

Performance

Cai and Oliver exuded confidence as they started their performance with 6 out of the 12 miniature pieces of the Cocktail List by popular British Composer Stephen Goss. ( “Boulevardier”, “Negroni”, “Alabama Slammer”, “Vodka martini”, “Vieu Carré” and “Manhattan”). The selection gave the duo the opportunity to show their virtuosity, rapidly switching styles between Jazz, nostalgic, discordant, hints of James Bond, Blues and music reflecting a mood of New York. They definitely have good stage chemistry, know each others play so well and their technique and timing were immaculate.

The mood changed as the duo played a selection of well known Welsh folk songs arranged by Stephen Goss, including the much loved “David of the white Rock”, “Suo Gan” and “Hunting the Hare”. The performers played with great sensitivity to achieve a much more soulful, lilting and melancholic sound.

The Duo then performed a world premiere of their commissioned piece in 3 Movements by young composer David John Roche Quaver dreams and quaver nightmares I. Limited Chordal Universe II. NotBach and III. Aggressive Bicycle Music.The final piece brought out their strong sense of fun when they donned red noses to play Carlo Domeniconi’s Fire Brigade on Ice from Circus Music.

Closing Thoughts

The Wales Duo gave a memorable and technically brilliant performance and the pair clearly has a bright future ahead. You can follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/walesguitarduo/

12 June, 2025 @ 7:15 pm – 10:00 pm BST

Theme: Own arrangement or composition (£100 first prize, £50 second prize!), or if not participating in the competition: music from a living composer.

This month we have a special competition — play your own composition or arrangement, and be in the running to win a £100 voucher/prize for the best own composition or arrangement, as voted for by the members in attendance on the night. Terms and conditions apply!

• It must be your own composition or arrangement, written or finished in 2025
• You must not have used this composition as an entry for any previous competition (including outside BCGS)
• You consent to a video or recording of your composition going on the BCGS website
• If it’s an arrangement, it should be fairly novel, rather than just slight tweaks on a common arrangement (e.g. just a different key)
• Only active playing members of the BCGS are eligible to participate
• First prize £100, and £50 and a set of D’Addario strings as a prize for the runner-up!

We don’t anticipate a huge number of entries, so alternatively, just play something by a living composer — but you won’t be in line for the prizes!

19:15-19:45 Solos and chamber ensembles

19:45-20:00 Member’s Short Talk
Cari Aplin: How to practice guitar

20:00-20:50 Guest Speaker: Steve Toon, Guitar Maker Steve will talk about his general approach to guitar making and his more recent excursions into double-top guitars. Also about the way he developed his ideas on this type of guitar and all being well he will bring one new guitar for a demo.

21:00-22:00 BCGS Ensemble Rehearsal

19:15-20:00 Solos and chamber ensembles

20:00-20:50 Guest Artists: Mosaic Guitar Ensemble

A short concert by the Mosaic Ensemble, based in the south of England, and under the direction of Amanda Cook

21:00-22:00 BCGS Ensemble Rehearsal

13 March, 2025 @ 7:15 pm – 10:00 pm GMT

Theme: TV, film, musical, video game themes (arranged or written for guitar)

19:00-19:45 Solos and chamber ensembles

19:45-20:00 Members’ Lightning Talk: Tony Mulholland

“Software Tools for Ensemble Practice”

20:10-21:00 Young Artists Platform

We host one of this year’s IGF Young Artist Platform winners for a short concert. The Wales Guitar Duo (Cai Charles and Oliver Manning) will be performing works by: Domeniconi, Goss, and a preview of a newly commissioned work by David Roche.

This concert is promoted in partnership with the International Guitar Foundation (IGF).

Programme (download printable programme BCGS WGD programme)

Stephen Goss (b. 1964)
Cocktail list
Boulevardier
Negroni
Alabama Slammer
Vodka Martini
Vieux Carré
Manhattan

Stephen Goss (b.1964)
Welsh folk songs
Dafydd y Garreg Wen (David of the White Rock)
Lliw Gwyn Rhosyn yr Haf (White rose of Summer)
Suo-gân (Lullaby)
Hela’r ‘Sgyfarnog (Hunting the hare)
Lisa Lân (Fair Lisa)
Wrth fynd hefo Deio i Dywyn (As I went with Tom to Tywyn)

David John Roche (b. 1990)
Quaver Dreams and Quaver Nightmares
[World Premiere Preview: IGF 2024 commission]
I. Limited Chordal Universe
II. NOTBACH
III. Aggressive Bicycle Music

Carlo Domeniconi (b.1947) 

Fire Brigade On Ice from Circus Music

21:00-22:00 BCGS Ensemble Rehearsal

This month, members of the BCGS were treated to a concert by rising star Luke Bartlett, whom we regard very much as one of our own. Luke has been attending the BCGS regularly since the age of 14 and we have watched him flourish and his hairstyles changing from one visit to the next. He is approaching his Finals Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, was selected as an IGF Young Artist 2024, is a Julian Bream Scholar and has recently won a prize for Voice and Guitar at RWCMD. The BCGS has provided Luke with a small scholarship towards his studies at University and he has richly rewarded us with his ongoing support for the society and to witness his considerably talent unfolding.

It was clear form the outset that he had put considerable thought into his concert. In Fantasia by Alonso Mudarra, Luke used Segovia-like fingering to achieve warmer tones, with beautiful campanella over-ringing to achieve Mudarra’s aim of imitating “the harp playing of Ludovico.” He impressed in the Scarlatti Sonata K.208 with his cross-string trills and is ornamentation. His stand-out piece was the Fantasia-Sonata, Op. A-22 which was written for Andres Segovia by Catalan composer Joan Manen, a rarely performed piece. Luke achieved many rich textures in this dramatic piece, bringing out all of the voices. It had a fast section, lots of slurs and rasgueados, percussive and complex rhythms and ended with a slow soulful section. His concentration did not falter despite the loud ticking of the wall clock and a member of the audience knocking over a water bottle. The Sarabande for Guitar, written by Francis Poulenc for Ida Presti, was impressionistic and played with haunting delicate tones and fading into silence at the end. This was followed by Tango de la Casada Infiel (Homenage a Garcia Lorca) by Vicente Asenscio. Luke mastered the complexities of this discordant and sad piece with ease and made it sound beautiful. Luke ended the concert with his own arrangement of two rarely heard pieces from Herbert Howell’s Lambert’s Clavichord: I. Lambert’s Fireside and V. Sargent’s Fantastic Sprite. Luke elegantly caught the intended renaissance flavour, the first piece slow and reminiscent of Dowland, the second much faster with a slightly Celtic influence.

Luke rewarded the audience with a beautiful rendition of Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Prelude No. 3 as his encore. All pieces were played on Luke’s Kim Lassarangue guitar with impressive volume and he was able to demonstrate the full dynamic range of this instrument.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed this high-quality performance and wish Luke well in his Finals Performance, the Sir Ian Stoutzker Prize Final and of course the rest of his career.

Programme